MVRDV designs office block as "colourful addition" to Rotterdam
Dutch studio MVRDV has unveiled plans for the Schieblocks office building in Rotterdam, which will comprise a series of stacked, colourful blocks beside Rotterdam Centraal station.
Set to stretch 150 metres along the city's railway line, Schieblocks will encompass 47,000 square metres of private office space, along with commercial space at ground level and a publicly-accessible green roof.
Its design was conceived by MVRDV alongside Dutch studio SYNRG as a "3D neighbourhood of offices" and, according to the studio, is the largest new private office building currently being built in the Netherlands.
"Squeezing a building in this narrow space next to the railway was a tough challenge," MVRDV founding partner Winy Maas said.
"The Schieblocks will be a colourful addition to the city," he continued. "This is how people will see Rotterdam when arriving by train: diverse, bright, and bold."
Renders of the 61-metres-tall proposal reveal Schieblocks' 11 colourful blocks divided into four horizontal sections and each finished with varying facade designs.
According to MVRDV, the use of colour was informed by American artist Donald Judd's colourful furniture series, while the facade layouts draw on Rotterdam's historic buildings.
One block features projecting bay windows that nod to a nearby historic building designed by Dutch architect Huig Maaskant.
Another block is set to match the sandstone colour of Rotterdam's city hall and have hexagonal window frames that spell out '010' in reference to the city's dialling code.
Additionally, three of the facades are set to be built using Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) panels to generate electricity for the offices, while two blocks will be constructed of bricks made from recycled material.
Schieblocks' public upper floors will include a restaurant and event space, accompanied by a green roof that will stretch across the entire building and be connected by spiral staircases.
Meanwhile, at ground level, a series of glazed volumes designed for "maximum transparency" will contain public amenities and serve as "plinths" for the offices above. Below this will be a three-storey subterranean parking garage.
Additional features include a bar at the building's western end, which will incorporate an existing car-parking ramp of the neighbouring Central Post building.
Since the ramp cannot be removed, MVRDV has designed a glass case for it, which it says will form the centrepiece of the bar.
"With this unique feature the Wokkelbar (Spiral Bar) will become an intriguing new addition to the nightlife of the Schiekadeblok, typifying the gritty, ‘can-do' attitude that epitomises Rotterdam," the studio said.
Elsewhere, MVRDV has unveiled plans for a sports arena held within a giant sphere in Tirana and designed a series of rock-shaped buildings for a visitor centre on Taiwan's coastline.
The renders are by CUUB.
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